What's your favorite roleplaying atmosphere? Do you prefer to sit in taverns, discussing the latest gossip? Would you rather adventure with a tightly-knit group of companions? Do you enjoy manipulating societal structures behind the scenes, vying for political power? A melange of the above?

Offer up your favorite roleplaying atmosphere in this thread, whether its a description of a past or current PC or a paticular atmosphere that you've been looking for that you haven't found in an RP Mud.

A love playing a rough mercenary, whether it's in Armageddon or Shadows of Isildur, or Harshlands, I only play RPI muds for some reason now, when it comes to consistently playing. Mercenary roleplay is very interesting, just being a violent, uncaring, roll with the punches, asshole appeals to me. But then again there's times where I got really bored with a mercenary role and had to retire, and went on to do some political intrigue, backstabbing, betrayel and corruption style, I really love all kinds of roleplaying atmospheres, mainly because I myself have become a very flexible person, when it comes to just about anything I am willing to try anything. Well, ahem, except for a few things.

I couldn't agree more on the mercenary thing! I love playing a mercenary character, I'm not sure quite what it is, but I find mercenary roleplay huge fun and my main character is a typical mercenary brute. I think that when it comes to atmosphere the most important thing for me is that there is some variation, and also that the area doesn't restrict roleplay so that it becomes too passive. Tavern's can be quite good as a meeting place and for more relaxed roleplay with friends and they can also be a good setting for a brawl. One of the best roleplays I had in a tavern was where there was a group of mercenaries inside the tavern, and outside were the city watch. The raid on the tavern and the scuffle between watchmen and mercenaries was intensified I think because there was a sense of being trapped in a confined space. When I get involved in roleplays that are "adventure" type roleplays typically travelling through mountains, dungeons, forests - that kind fo thing - I like to be in a group where perhaps there is a certain level of tension between characters (although hopefully not between players!). I think that this works well because you are really relying on one another in this situation - so it can be fun roleplaying that reluctant co-operation.

I've never really done much roleplay of political situations - in the MUD I played the kind of behind scenes stuff like that was mostly done through stories and posts on the forums. That kind of roleplay might be really interesting in the context of mercenaries though - a kind of power struggle with all sorts of dirty play.

A very interesting question, and one that I had to think about for awhile. Actually a couple months.

For me, my favorite situation is where I am the power behind the scenes. I don't want to be the one who gets the glory and suffers the shame. I want to be the one who does the real work. I don't mind the detail work, and petty chores, beacuse I know that eventually I can sit back and watch the others take advantage of what I have set up. A bit of social role, but also a lot of solo work as well. I have done this in military roles and civillian roles, hunter and craftsman, lawful and unlawful. For me, the challenge and the pleasure is in working within the limits and seeing just how far "my better half" can go.